South Africa's Democratic Alliance on Monday laid fraud and corruption charges against Danny Jordaan and Molefi Oliphant in relation to an alleged $10M bribe "to secure votes to win the right to host the 2010 World Cup," according to RDM. Speaking outside the Cape Town Police Station‚ the party’s sports spokesperson‚ Solly Malatsi‚ said the cases were opened to "initiate a criminal investigation into the allegation." Jordaan‚ now mayor of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro and current president of the South African FA‚ "was CEO of the Bid Committee when the alleged bribe was arranged in 2007." Oliphant was SAFA president "at the time." Malatsi said, "We know that both Jordaan and Oliphant are implicated in the decision to transfer the money for CONCACAF’s Diaspora Legacy Programme in two letters" (RDM, 9/21). The BBC reported the South African government and football officials "deny paying a bribe." Cape Town police "is now obliged to investigate the complaint." Malatsi said that "the party decided to act after Sports Minister Fikile Mbabula said an official investigation into the allegations had not been opened because there had been no such request" (BBC, 9/21). The AP reported Oliphant -- now a co-opted member of the Confederation of African Football's exec committee -- declined to comment, saying he "cannot respond" to the allegations because he had not seen them in detail. Jordaan "did not immediately reply" to a message seeking comment. The South African government denied the '08 payment was a bribe (AP, 9/21).
